Learning to Live Again
by Point Given
Summary: Lily and Harry Potter have survived Voldemort's attack, thanks to James's sacrifice, although Harry sports a lighting bolt scar. Follow Lily as she raises Harry as a widow, stays one step ahead of vengeful Death Eaters, and picks up the pieces of her life
1. The Sundering

**Hey everyone, this is the start of my new fic, Learning to Live Again which is an AU where both Harry and Lily Potter survive Voldemort's attack thanks to James's sacrifice (however Harry still has the scar and is The Boy Who Lived) The fic deals primarily with Lily Potter (although other POVs will be seen) and how she picks up the pieces of her life after her husband's death; raising Harry as a widow, and her interactions with Sirius, Remus, the Weasleys, Dumbledore, Severus and others. I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>October 31, 1981 6:00 PM.<strong>

The Rosier Manor had fallen into a state of disrepair since Evan's death at the hands of Alastor Moody. Though the house's façade was still sturdy and tall, the inside of the villa was shabby and mostly covered with dust. For all intents and purposes, the Ministry thought the place was abandoned, a falsehood that Voldemort meant to encourage. It would not do for the government to realize that the manor was his new base of operations, especially since he had found out from his two spies that the newest strategy devised by the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix was to assassinate him directly to finish the war.

The Dark Lord had taken the old study as his personal room, and it was in the middle of this that a young greasy haired man stood, conversing with the tall pale skinned man about the latest activities of Albus Dumbledore.

"So the old fool has no inkling about our upcoming raid on the wizarding portion of Aldershot?"

"None whatsoever my lord," answered Severus Snape. He had told Dumbledore about the raid, but they had agreed to only send a token force to protect the town; they could risk Snape' s true allegiance being discovered on so small a town.

"Good, you have done as I expected. You may go."

Snape turned to leave, but paused for a second, knowing that doing so might incur the Dark Lord's wrath.

"My Lord…has there been any word on Sirius Black?"

Voldemort looked amused. "Lucius told me of your hatred for that man." His amusement quickly faded, "No, he has not been tracked down, and most unfortunately we cannot get the Potter's location unless we do. Are you planning to force out the information yourself?"

"No, though I'd wish to," said Snape languidly. "No it's about-"

"The Mudblood? I already told you Severus that I will honor your request, puzzling as it is. You did me a great service in bringing me the details of the prophecy, so I have given you this one…_desire_."

"I thank you very much, my lord," said Severus fervently. "But…this is about her husband….is it possible to spare him too?"

The slits where Voldemort's nostrils once sat flared outwards. "I was under the impression that you despised James Potter. Why would you want him to live, _Snape_?"

Snape immediately registered the use of his surname and explained. "I want him to suffer."

Voldemort's long pale index finger stroked his chin. "And death will do not this?"

"I want him to know I'm involved, my Lord," explained the new Potions master, doing his best to adopt a look of fanaticism. "I want him to see me take his wife for his own, I want him crushed, to let him see that the Dark Arts have prevailed; I want him to know that I finally triumphed over him!"

"He would make a powerful ally," mused the Dark Lord. "He has defied me and my Death Eaters three times before though…" He paused, still lost in thought. "Use the Mudblood wife against him. Use her as a hostage if you must. Her captivity in your hands will ensure his obedience to the Dark Arts."

"Yes my Lord."

"I am curious though, Severus. What do you plan to do with Lily Potter? This is only lust, is that right?"

"Of course my Lord," answered Snape, feeling a bit of relief that the Dark Lord had renewed his use of his first name. "I desire her, that is all." He was counting on the Dark Lord's ignorance of love to mask his lie, which thankfully he seemed to accept.

"Well, work it out of your system soon, Severus," said Voldemort with a mirthless laugh. "Salazar knows that your blood line is diluted enough. Mating with a Mudblood would be perverse"

"Of course my Lord."

"Good, good. You may tell the old fool that we are planning to conduct raids on the communities of Aldershot, Accrington, and Wolverhampton. With luck, Dumbledore will spread his Order to thin and we may kill some in the process."

"Very well," answered Snape.

"And Severus, do be careful with your requests next time. Next thing I know you'll be wishing for me to spare the Potter boy."

"I would never do that, my Lord," answered Snape passionately as Voldemort stared directly into his eyes. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, Voldemort gestured toward the door.

Recognizing the sign of dismissal, he kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes and swiftly walked out the door, brushing against a short squat man lurking outside in the shadows before he exited the manor.

Years later, Severus Snape regretted not looking back at the man he had left in his wake, one of the many regrets he had in his life. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts to recognize Peter Pettigrew.

The traitor slipped into the ancient study, fidgeting nervously, yet sporting a twitchy smile.

"Yes, Wormtail? Have you news on Sirius Black's location?"

"B-better than that m-my Lord…"

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><p><strong>October 31, 1981 9:00 PM<strong>

"Nice costumes, Mr. and Mrs. Foley!"

The excited tone of a young boy reached the ears of Lily Potter, who was standing in the kitchen, using her wand to clean up dinner. In the next room she could hear her young son giggling in mirth. She knew that her husband was playing Harry's favorite game; conjuring rings of smoke from his wand for their son to catch.

It really was a shame that they could not leave the house. She knew James was getting antsy, and to be truthful she was losing patience as well. They had spent nearly a year in hiding, and they were approaching their second Christmas in a self-imposed exile.

She sighed as she heard James's laughter along with Harry's. Halloween was always their favorite holiday. They had loved the feasts in Hogwarts and she smiled in remembrance of the various stunts that James would pull to impress her, usually to no avail. Even a year after they graduated, the Marauders, Lily, Marlene and Dorcas went out trick-or-treating; seven eighteen year olds dressed in silly costumes and asking for candy.

And now Marlene and Dorcas were dead, Sirius was in hiding as well, and Remus, bless his heart was suspected of being the one feeding Voldemort inside information on the Order. They were all astounded when Moody and Dumbledore had reached that conclusion; no one had believed it at first. But after Sirius's girlfriend Marlene and her entire family were murdered, Sirius and Peter began to believe the evidence. The only reason they had been found had to have been because of a traitor, and Remus had visited Marlene on Sirius's behalf two days prior. As far as she knew, she and James were the only ones to still believe in Remus's innocence. Remus was always very intelligent and she and her husband believed (though with no proof) that a spy wouldn't give himself away so easily by ordering the murders of a family when he had been the last one to see them. They still had no earthly idea who the traitor was, however.

Finally finishing washing up, she tossed her wand onto the table and walked into the living room. She smiled as she watched James play with their boy. And she couldn't help chuckling softly that just five years ago, she would have exploded in fury if anyone had ever told her that she would marry and have a child with James Potter.

She didn't know how everything changed. After Severus had shown his true colors, she had felt extremely betrayed and abandoned, yet her friends Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald had been there for her. For the few remaining weeks in fifth year and all summer really, she had harbored a passionate grudge against all four of the Marauders, even Remus, for what she felt was their responsibility for setting up that terrible situation. Yet, through talks with her friends and her parents (Petunia was out of the question) she had come to realize that even if the Marauders had not pushed Severus to that breaking point, something like that would have happened anyway. Her former friend was too close to Mulciber, Avery and Regulus Black for anything else to have happened.

The beginning of sixth year was more of the same old thing. The Marauders still committed pranks, James still asked out Lily, yet as the year went on she noticed a change in her future husband. The boy actually tried to listen to her, to find out things about her when they managed to have civil conversations (which were few and far between). Lily was initially under the impression that there was some longer con game underneath it all, but Marlene, who was beginning to spend more time around Sirius, tried to reassure her that James actually was beginning to change.

Slowly she began to see James Potter in a different light, and by March, her animosity had practically disappeared and their arguments were now the things that were few and far between. She still disapproved of his pranks and would do her best to talk him out of pranking Severus, but James's growing passion in fighting back against the ever present danger of Voldemort was slowly attracting her. She now saw him as a mature man, who was passionate in all things, especially standing up for what he believed in. His constant speeches in the common room every week, exhorting the Gryffindors to stick to the Light, infected her with a desire to fight back against the Dark Arts…and infected her with a growing desire for him.

That summer, she had taken her parents to their first Quidditch game, a match between the Holyhead Harpies and the Tutshill Tornadoes. There she had run into James, who was also there with his parents, and later, while everyone's attention was riveted on the high-scoring game, they shared their first kiss underneath the bleachers. They began to owl each other every day and when they returned to Hogwarts for their final year as Head Girl and Head Boy, they had finally started to date.

Memories of that year, their engagement soon after leaving Hogwarts, and their low key wedding swam through her mind as she watched James and their baby boy play. Harry soon began to yawn and Lily picked him up to put him to sleep.

"Are you going to work on your book some more?" she asked her husband.

"Maybe in a bit, I'm going to take a little nap first, I think, then I'll get to work on the tenth chapter," James answered as he too gave a big yawn.

"All right, but don't' stay up too late," she warned. "You woke me up at two in the morning yesterday."

"All right," he replied. He began to waggle his eyebrows. "Are you going to stay up for me tonight?"

Lily smiled at his cheeky grin. "Of course, as long as you don't work until an ungodly hour!"

"That's incentive enough," said James roguishly. He gave her a quick peck and collapsed onto the armchair as Lily gathered up her sleepy son and started up the stairs.

A loud crash sounded from outside, and for a split second Lily thought that a car had broken through their front gate until her instincts took over and her husband shouted.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily dashed up the steps and groped for her wand, but realized to her horror that she had left it on the kitchen table, and the high cold laugh of Voldemort meant it was too late to retrieve it. It would have been useless anyway. James was the better fighter, and if he couldn't slow him down, neither could she. Even if she had her wand, it was useless to Apparate; the wards that kept anyone from coming in, also prevented them from Apparating out…just like Hogwarts… She mentally slapped herself; now, at the end of all things, it was silly to dwell on the past.

She burst into Harry's bedroom, tossed him in the crib, and immediately began piling every bit of furniture she could find in front of the door. Deep down she knew it was useless; Lord Voldemort would casually blast it aside, but she needed to do something; anything to slow him down, if only to give her son another few seconds of life.

Harry, who had started to cry from his father's shouts and the frenzied escape, suddenly fell silent, looking at his mother. Lily looked back and suddenly realized why her son had stopped crying. It felt as though a balloon was rapidly expanding inside of her, but instead of anything physical, it was a feeling…a feeling of love…but…it wasn't her own feeling…

Everything seemed to slow down as the love inside of her swept over her entire body; she felt calmer than she had since before they forced to go into hiding and it was in this instant that she recognized that this love was somehow coming from James.

A memory, long buried under the millions of things she had learned in her lifetime swam to the forefront of her mind.

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><p><strong>December 12, 1979<strong>

The two of them were sitting on a bench outside Potter Manor, looking at the snow swept grounds while James stroked his wife's hair

"You know Lils, all those romance novelists have a point, sometimes love is the most powerful thing in the world."

"Um…James I thought you hated romance novels?"

"Oh I do. Sappy, tacky trash that's not fit to lick the boots of great literature, or even great love stories, but what I mean is that although the characters drone on and on about feelings and the power of love, they have a point about the latter."

"You know, if you're trying to seduce me, you did so a long time ago," chuckled Lily.

James's piercing laugh echoed around the surrounding hills. "What I mean, is that one time when I was a young kid, I saw my parents arguing something fierce. After it was over, I asked my dad whether he still loved my mom and he said, "of course." So I asked him why they argued and he said that everyone does, but it doesn't mean they don't love each other."

Lily listened intently as James swept some snow off her jacket.

"So he gave me an example of love, apparently one of our ancestors, Ignotus Something-or-the-other, discovered thethat love can be used as a shield."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it apparently came to pass that Ignotus's older brother, Antioch or Cadmus, I can never remember which…anyway it came to pass that the brother went mad and tried to restore his dead fiancée from the grave but failed. Supposedly Ignotus's wife was the twin sister of the dead fiancée and for some reason this caused the elder brother to attempt to kill her. Ignotus stepped in front of the two while they were dueling and the elder brother told him to get out of the way. Ignotus refused so the elder brother killed him, but while doing so he did placed a protection on his wife that protected her so that when Antioch or Cadmus tried to kill her, his curse rebounded and killed himself."

"That sounds…incredibly tragic," said Lily softly.

"Oh it is," agreed James. "But imagine if Ignotus hadn't done that?"

"True, true. Did the secret die with Ignotus?"

"No, apparently his wife, Cymbeline, I believe her name was, spent years perfecting it and passed her down to her and Ignotus's children. It's been passed down ever since, and few others know about it."

"Did you ever learn it, James?" asked Lily as she leaned her head into his shoulder.

"Yes…my dad taught me…would you like me to teach you?"

"Definitely," said Lily. "With this war…who knows what might happen?"

"I will then. The best part about it, I find, is that it doesn't even require a wand..."

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><p><strong>October 31, 1981 9:09 PM<strong>

This was James's sacrifice, Lily realized. He must have stood toe to toe with Voldemort, and emerged the bigger man by not dueling him. But why would Voldemort want to spare his life? If the Dark Lord did want to kill James, then he technically didn't have to cast the blood sacrifice…it only worked if James had a chance of survival. Unless Voldemort felt he could turn James, and that was foolish indeed.

Harry and Lily locked eyes as she bent over to give him a kiss on the forehead, knowing that James would have ensured their lives. A moment later she actually felt James's mind in her own, just for a split second.

"Please take care of Harry and yourself. You know that I'll love you, always."

"I love you too," she breathed back, but seconds later her heart shattered in two.

"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a high cold voice, and Lily knew that she would never find happiness again.

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><p>James didn't know what he was doing, running at the darkest wizard of all time while his wand lay on the sofa. It was as if his brain had split into two, one half doing nothing but acting, and the other observing and screaming at the dominant half to pick up the wand!<p>

He drew back his arm, and the observer half of his brain marveled at the fact that he was actually trying to punch Voldemort in the face, at least until a curse hit him and he found himself standing stock still in the doorway, unable to take another step,.

"Brave of you, James Potter," said Voldemort sardonically as his eyes traveled over this threat. "But ultimately foolish, I have no desire to kill you."

"What…what are you talking about?" asked James, who looked extremely surprised. Upstairs he could hear crashes, he could only imagine his wife was barricading herself and Harry in, since they couldn't Disapparate with the wards in place.

"I do not wish you, or even your Mudblood wife to die," repeated Voldemort. "Your son is the only one who will perish tonight."

"And that's one person too many!" shouted James. Questions poured out of him like a torrent, even though he knew Lord Voldemort could kill him at any time. "What are you talking about; why do you want to spare us? How did you even get here? How long did it take to break Peter?"

Voldemort grinned maliciously. "You placed your trust in the wrong person."

James's eyes bulged in horror.

" I admit that was taking a terribly long time to track down your friend Black, even with Pettigrew's help but imagine my surprise when your rat friend told me that you switched Secret Keepers to him? He only told me a few hours ago, I imagine that you made the switch not that long ago."

"Just…just…yesterday," said James, looking completely broken. How could Peter have done this? Had he been placed under the Imperius Curse?

"No, Wormtail did it of his own volition, coward though he is," said Voldemort, as if he could read James's mind, something which the Potter patriarch remembered he could do. "Now, step aside Potter, I do not wish to spill pure blood."

"So that's it!" shouted James as the crashes continued above. "You're going to recruit me to your side? Don't waste your breath!"

"And what if it saves your Mudblood wife's life?" asked the Dark Lord.

"Lily would never want me to turn to the Dark Arts, she'd die before she saw me do so, and so would I!"

Voldemort cocked his head, as if he was now seeing James in an entirely different light. The man's scarlet slit pupils bored into his, and James met them dead on, managing to fill his thoughts with defiance and hatred for the Dark Arts, until a realization wormed into his mind.

"Was it Snape who told you to spare Lily?" he asked. "You never would spare a Muggleborn's life, even if it were to turn me to your side."

As James asked this, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his wife and son. Memories of the two loves of his life forced their way toward the top of his mind, so that he was no longer listening to Voldemort's vicious confirmation of his question.

He focused on the two of them, transmitting his yearning for the safety so forcefully that it was almost as if they were standing right next to him. In his final moments, he swore he could touch their minds, in fact he wondered if for his last seconds on earth he was actually in their minds.

He smiled down on Harry as the puzzled but happy boy's essence met his. He felt himself merge with his wife's mind for a second, and he knew he wanted to say one last thing to her.

"Please take care of Harry and yourself. You know that I'll love you, always."

The final words he heard in his mortal lifetime were "I love you too," whispered by Lily so passionately and so urgently in his mind that he never heard the two words that took his life.

Seconds, or possibly days later he found himself lying on what appeared to be cool wet grass at first touch.

James rose and shook his head, looking confusedly around him. Where was he?

The dewy grass was neatly manicured and as James's eyes traveled along the freshly mown trails he saw that it terminated near a stately manor house that he recognized as his childhood home, a place he had not seen since his parents had been murdered there one year previously.

He jogged towards the villa, noting that everything seemed to passing by him quickly, almost as if he was on his old Quidditch broom. Just scant seconds later he was approaching the doorstep and to his heart-stopping joy he saw his late parents standing in the doorway.

"Mom? Dad?"

"We've been expecting you son," said his mother. "Though I wish it wasn't this soon."

They smiled at him, both traces of sadness and joy visible in their faces.

"Lily and Harry will be alright, you've seen to that," said his father proudly.

"Come inside, son," said his mother, and as he walked in, James's journey to the afterlife was complete.

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><p>A loud crash interrupted Lily's grief, and she instinctively shielded Harry's crib with her arms. Voldemort stood on the threshold, his wand leveled at her face.<p>

"Stand aside, stand aside now."

Lily felt a surge of anger at the Dark Lord, and even though she knew that she and Harry were protected, she still defied him

"Not Harry, you won't take Harry!"

"Stand aside you silly girl! Stand aside now!"

"You killed my husband, you think I'll just let you take my baby?"

Voldemort's blood red eyes found her bright green ones.

"Your husband didn't have to die, I offered him his life and he foolishly chose to throw it away. Now, Mrs. Potter, stand aside _now_."

"Never!" she yelled viciously back into his face.

Voldemort regarded the Muggleborn for a moment. It really would be prudent to finish off the entire Potter family. In fact, he was doing a great favor for Severus, giving him a Mudblood to use for his own enjoyment, but if the girl didn't cooperate, then he didn't see any need to give her another chance.

"This is my last warning! Stand aside, silly girl, stand aside!"

"You'll have to kill me," said Lily with a triumphant smile.

Voldemort paused for a second at the woman's grin. She seemed unfazed by his threat, and this displeased him greatly. No…killing her now would rob him of witnessing her suffering. It was better to kill her son in front of her and see her pain; then finish her off while she was sobbing for her lost ones.

The Dark Lord flicked his wand, and Lily Potter was sent flying across the room to smash into the far wall. She lay pinned against it, woozy and dazed from where her head had smacked into the smooth stone wall.

Voldemort's thin pale lips curled into something of a snarl. "For your insolence you get to watch your son die before I deal with you."

Through the haze of her pounding head she saw the Dark Lord raise his wand and point it at her crying son. Although she knew Harry was safe thank to James's last actions, she still cried out as Voldemort screamed those hateful two words.

A green flash lit around the room, nearly blinding Lily, and the force of the spell blasted the entire roof off, pelting her with debris. Immediately Lily knew something had gone right, the Killing Curse was not supposed to destroy a room.

When the dust settled, Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, not even a body was left on the ground. She hobbled over to the crib where the sound of crying brought relief to her heart.

"Harry…you're safe, Harry…"

She sank to her knees, as the void of unconsciousness overcame her.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoy it, please read and review!<strong>


	2. Still Alive

**I have to say Hagrid is kind of hard to write. Hope I did his style of speech justice. Also at this time Millicent Bagnold was Minister of Magic**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter**

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><p>"Please take care of Harry and yourself. You know that I'll love you, always."<p>

"James? But…you're dead."

James's face swam before Lily's eyes, looking different than he had before. He looked so full of vitality, much different than they had been since they first went into hiding.

"Please take care of Harry and yourself. You know that I'll love you, always," James repeated.

The face began to fade.

"Wait, James! Come back!"

Lily's vision changed. Tall, dark trees stood all around her, blocking her view of the sky above. All she knew was that she had to get to Harry, but she didn't know how.

A sudden sharp light blinded her. Wincing in pain she screwed up her eyes to see that it was shining through the trees as if from a great distance. She walked toward the light's origin, calling for help as she did so, but no matter how fast she strode she could never gain on the light. Nevertheless she saw that the light seemed to be retreating from her; as if it too could also move. She ran on, but the sound of hooves galloping in the distance distracted her.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Lily!" was the faint answer.

"Yes? Who's there?"

"Lily!" The voice grew louder. A hint of panic was in the voice, but it was not her own. It sounded…rough, yet far away.

"But _I'm_ Lily…" she whispered.

"Lily, wake up!"

_What?_

"Harry's safe! Lily, wake up!"

_Harry…_

A piercing wail stabbed through her dream. In an instant Lily sat up, blinking in the sudden sunlight. She rose unsteadily, hands groping for purchase on the wall.

"Lily, yer up!"

"Ha-Hagrid?" Her eyes adjusted to see the gigantic gamekeeper's anxious face looking at her. In his arms lay a bundle of blankets with just a hint of black hair poking out.

"Harry!" She ran towards them, her arms outstretched. Hagrid delicately placed the baby into her arms. He peered at her anxiously with his beetle black eyes

"Are yeh okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered as she hugged the boy close to her. "Physically, I mean."

Hagrid twisted his hands in anxiety. "I don' know how ter tell yeh this, but-"

"I know," she answered softly. "James sacrificed himself to save us." Her voice took on a tone of pride for her husband. "Voldemort couldn't kill Harry because of James's love."

"He was a brave man," he said awkwardly.

"I want to see him," she said as she kissed Harry and handed him back to Hagrid

"I-okay…"

The stairs were in shambles. Lily wondered whether it was a result of the backfiring Killing Curse that had destroyed the roof. She gingerly picked her away among the splintered steps, ignoring the dull pain in her head from where Voldemort had sent her flying into the wall.

The living room was dirty. Debris from the ceiling and fallen into the room, giving everything a dusty sheen. Yet all Lily could see was the fallen figure by the front door. She rushed over to it, tears leaking from her eyes as she beheld her dead husband.

His eyes were mercifully closed. She did not know what she would have done if they had been open, staring sightlessly into the void, unknowing of her presence just above him. Had he closed his eyes when he gave his last to save them both? Or had Hagrid taken pity and shut them himself? She had a feeling it was the former.

James's body lay straight, he looked as if he had physically attempted to block Voldemort from entering their home. _He would have done so,_ she thought. No matter how futile he'd take the smallest action to deny the Dark any chance to succeed.

"You deserve better, James," she whispered softly to his body. "A grand funeral, like your ancestors, with the entire wizarding world mourning at your loss."

No…she was being silly. She knew James would be perfectly happy with just her, Harry Sirius, Remus and Peter at his side.

Peter…had Voldemort broken him, tortured him to get the information out? They had only switched the Secret Keeper a few days before, but had the spy, whoever he or she was, found out. She had not believed for a second it was Remus, or anyone close to them. Perhaps it was a fringe Order member, like Mundungus, or an Auror who knew too much.

But the fact of the matter was that Voldemort could have only found them, if Peter had told, but she couldn't believe that he would do so willingly. No, he like Remus, was not a traitor…

The only answer Lily could see was that Peter had been tortured. He was susceptible to the Cruciatus Curse, having suffered under Antonin Dolohov's during the raid that killed James's parents, and then he must have talked, desperately. She could see it in her mind's eye, Voldemort's torture, Peter's slip, and then the Killing Curse… Sadness, mixed with anger coursed through her; she could see no other way for Voldemort to have known their location.

Footsteps sounded behind her, she turned to see Hagrid holding her baby boy. Harry reached for her, so she gathered him into his arms.

"Da!" he exclaimed, pointing at James. Hagrid blew his nose loudly behind them.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered as she bounced him on her knee. "Daddy's gone."

"Da seep."

Lily choked back a sob. "No, he's not sleeping, little one."

"Seepin!"

"I'm so sorry."

Hagrid wiped the tears from his eyes. "Dumbledore sent me to take yeh two outta the house ter bring yeh ter yer sister's."

"Petunia?" Lily was horrified. "No, no, not like this, not now, I can't deal with her now!"

"Tha's alright, tha's alright," said Hagrid, soothingly. "Er… well Dumbledore said he'd meet us there, per'aps yeh can talk ter him an' let him know yeh don' want ter see her."

"How did he know about what happened?" she questioned him.

"Dunno, great wizard he is, mebbe it's part of the charm he put," Hagrid ventured.

As they walked out of the house, Lily noticed that the sun was setting, not rising like she thought when she had come to.

"Hagrid, what time is it?"

"Er... six o' clock."

"In the evening?"

Hagrid looked her over anxiously. "Yes. Yeh sure yer okay?"

"And today is?"

"November 1st."

Lily raised her hand to her mouth. "I've been unconscious for almost an entire day." She rushed back inside towards the kitchen. She grabbed her wand, which still lay on a countertop, and threw open the fridge, grabbing a jar of baby food and a chilled bottle of milk that she hurriedly warmed with a spell. She rushed back outside and almost jammed it down Harry's throat. Thankfully her son did not fuss, but immediately began to drink.

"Poor Harry, he must have been so frightened," she said to Hagrid. "I lay there for an entire day, and he had no idea what must have happened."

"Aye, no kid should have ter live through tha'" he agreed.

"Hagrid, can you grab a bedsheet from the laundry?" she asked as she fed Harry. "It's the room next Harry's."

"Of cours'" he answered, and within a minute he was back downstairs. Lily gently handed Harry off to him and gingerly placed the sheet over James's body.

"I'm not leaving without him," she said firmly, though she could see in Hagrid's eyes that the gentle giant agreed completely. The gamekeeper stooped low to pick James up.

"I have transportation," he said as he indicated a large motorcycle by the front gate.

Lily stared at the familiar looking vehicle.

"That looks just like Sirius's bike."

"It is," he replied. Borrowed it offa him just outside the hous'. Very keen on lettin' me have it, he did, said he wasn't gonna be needing it any longer."

Lily clapped a hand to her mouth. "Did you tell him I was still alive? Did you, Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked alarmed at her sudden anxiety.

"I tried ter, but Sirius wasn't payin' attention. He knew Harry was still alive 'cause we could hear him crying from where we were, and he wanted me to give him ter him, but I said no, and I tried ter tell him you were still alive, but after I said no, he seemed ter not pay attention. He gave me the bike ter transport Harry and then Disapparated."

"Oh no," Lily moaned. "Oh no, we have to find him! I'm the only one now who knows the switch! They're going to go after him!"

"I don' under-"

"I'll explain it later," she said hurriedly. "But it'll take too long to take the bike. We're going to have to Apparate."

"With Harry?" said a worried looking Hagrid. "Don't the guidelines say tha' children under 3 shouldn-"

"I know, but there's an innocent man's life at stake," she answered hurriedly. She clutched Harry close to her body as Hagrid gathered James's body close. They clasped hands, and within a second, Godric's Hollow disappeared before their eyes to be replaced by the driveway of Number Four, Privet Drive.

* * *

><p>For once the sight of the stuffy house was a pleasant one for Lily. After quickly checking on Harry, she hurriedly looked around, but could see no sign of Dumbledore.<p>

"Where is he, Hagrid?" she asked hurriedly.

"He said he was gonna meet me when I returned. The flight was supposed ter be 'bout four hours so mebbe he'll come at ten."

"I'll have to send a Patronus then," she muttered distractedly. "Hopefully it'll reach him before anything bad happens."

"Meow!"

A tabby cat jumped down from a nearby wall, and in an instant turned into the familiar figure of Minerva McGonagall.

"Lily!"

"Professor!"

They hugged each other close and then released.

"The rumors," choked out Lily's former Head of House as he looked over her former student and her baby son. "They said you and James had died fighting Voldemort."

Lily choked back another sob. McGonagall's eyes travelled from her face to the shrouded figure in Hagrid's arms.

"No!"

"He was a hero," Lily whispered. "He saved us both."

She explained the story as quickly as she could to her former Head of House. When she was done, Professor McGonagall smiled sadly at her.

"He'll be remembered as such."

"Will he be remembered by Harry? By his one year old son who lost him so early? That's what I care about."

Minerva didn't know how to answer.

"I'm sorry," she said patting Lily on the back.

Lily sniffed but almost immediately remembered why she had come.

"Have you seen Dumbledore?" she asked.

"I believe Albus is supposed to come here later. I had thought he was bringing Harry to live here, before I knew you were alive, but he would have known that you survived; it was part of the Fidelius Charm."

Lily nodded jerkily, one of her questions being answered.

"I was…well…spying on your sister to see whether Harry would have a good life here."

"He wouldn't," Lily said sharply. "Not if I know my sister and her pettiness, but it doesn't matter now, I'm alive." She looked into her former teacher's eyes. " I'll have to send Dumbledore a Patronus."

"Is it anything pressing?" McGonagall asked. "He will be at the Ministry, I can fetch him here quickly."

"It's about Sirius," Lily blurted out, but she was surprised at the sudden look of hostility that spread on Professor McGonagall's face.

"Ah yes, _Black_," she hissed. "Don't worry, Lily, we'll track him down. We know he's still alive so he must have given you up willingly."

_Oh right_ she thought. "No! It wasn't him."

"Lily-" McGonagall said placatingly, but she was cut off.

"We switched Secret Keepers, Sirius is innocent!"

Professor McGonagall's mouth fell open in shock. "What?" she asked weakly.

"Three days ago we decided to switch Secret Keepers from Sirius to Peter," Lily explained quickly. "Sirius knew he was being watched by Death Eaters so he wanted to keep coming after him so they'd leave Peter alone. Peter must've been discovered and had the information tortured out of him!"

"He's innocent?" McGonagall's shock immediately wore off. That was one of the best things about her, Lily thought privately. McGonagall was always ready to recover from unpleasant news, something which served her well in the era of the Marauders' pranks.

"Well then, we must get to the Ministry quickly!" she said decisively. The group grabbed onto each other closely. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the driveway of Number Four, Privet Drive disappeared, to be replaced by the bustling downtown of night-time London.

* * *

><p>Whispers followed the rushing group down the hallways of the Ministry of Magic.<p>

"_Lily Potter!"_

"_Yes I heard she survived!_

"_Was that the gamekeeper holding James…"_

"_And the son's there too, I heard he defeated You-Know-Who just like that!"_

"_A baby, really?"_

"_He must have some uncommon power…"_

"_I heard they're going to see Minister Bagnold and Dumbledore…"_

The group burst into Bagnold's office soon after they arrived, completely startling Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold and the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Senior.

"What is the meaning…Lily Potter?"

The Minister of Magic looked completely taken aback as Dumbledore smiled warmly at the group.

"I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Ms. Potter," he said kindly as his eyes traveled over all of them. He paused when saw who Hagrid was holding.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure arrangements for James," he said sadly. He took off his brilliant purple travelling cloak and wrapped it around the bedsheet which held James. Some assistants gently took the body from Hagrid and led to an antechamber. Lily made to follow but recalled the reason she had come.

"It's about Sirius-" she began but she was cut off by Minister Bagnold.

"Don't worry, Ms. Potter, we're on his trail," she said confidently. "We know he's in London and we have half the Aurors searching the city for him.

"We know he's been jumping around randomly," said Barty Crouch stiffly, "no doubt searching for a safehouse or something, but we already have Aurors stationed outside his ancestral home Grimmauld Place in case he tries to make contact with his parents."

Lily had enough of the constant interruptions. "HE'S INNOCENT!" she roared.

Harry started to shriek in dismay at his mother's tone, so she bounced him up and down as she explained the shocked looking occupants of the room.

The words tumbled out of her in a rush. "James and I switched Secret Keepers to Peter Pettigrew to throw off suspicion since Sirius found out he was being tracked by Death Eaters. They must have found out and broken Peter," she said rapidly, willing them to immediately call off the search.

Minister Bagnold whispered into her personal assistant's ear, who immediately scurried out of the room.

"Wait…whose idea was it to make the switch?" Mr. Crouch asked shrewdly.

"Sirius's" she answered hotly, not liking the tone in his voice.

"So who's to say he didn't send He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named after Pettigrew to torture and kill him so as to alleviate suspicion from himself?" he asked.

Lily stared at him open mouthed. She honestly had no proof this wasn't the case, but her gut feeling told her that Padfoot would never betray the three of them.

"I just know, all right!" she practically shouted in reply.

Crouch did not look convinced. He adopted a kindly tone, that only managed to sound condescending.

"I know you've suffered a lot today, Ms. Potter, and I know Black's betrayal must strike you hard, but it looks probable that-"

"He didn't betray us!" she shrieked, setting off Harry again.

Dumbledore sent Crouch a warning look which he ignored but before he could say anything further, Bagnold's assistant raced back into the room.

"Just checked with the Hit Wizard Squad," she gasped, as Bagnold offered her a drink. "They contacted Pettigrew's mother…he was just at her apartment three hours ago, packing up clothes…"

"Peter's alive?" Lily gasped. The floor seemed to swim underneath her and she fell backward...onto a chintzy armchair that Dumbledore quickly conjured.

"Then…then…."

"Then Peter was the spy," said Dumbledore, whose face was now a mask of cold fury.

"He betrayed us?" Lily could not believe it. Not Peter… she had thought he must have given them up under torture…but not like this… not by betrayal…

"Wasn't it Peter who gave us the most evidence that Remus was the traitor?" asked Professor McGonagall, who had now taken baby Harry into her arms.

"Yes," the Headmaster answered briefly. "It was him who told us that Remus had visited the McKinnon's before their murders, and other evidence as well. I'm such a fool for suspecting Remus and now Sirius." He looked ready to ask Lily to forgive him, but a look from McGonagall made him reconsider.

Footsteps sounded outside the office door, and another figure walked in.

"Auror Shacklebolt," said Minister Bagnold crisply. "Any news?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at Lily sadly, though she gave him a brief smile. James, Sirius and Kingsley had been part of the same Auror class and before the new phase of the war, they'd had weekly poker games at Sirius's place.

"We believe Sirius is after Pettigrew. One of the sightings had him a few blocks south of Pettigrew's mother's place, and another was the apartment next to Pettigrew's home."

"Alright," said Mr. Crouch, for the first time since his certainty about Sirius's guilt had been shattered. "If we find Black, we find Pettigrew. Get to it."

Kingsley turned to leave, but Lily could see that her husband's friend was rolling his eyes at Crouch's unhelpful order. She could imagine what he thought; for it was probably similar to her own Did Crouch not think that Kingsley and the Aurors had already figured that obvious bit of information out? Nevertheless, after giving Lily a sympathetic look, Kingsley walked out.

"We'll find arrangements for you and Harry," said Dumbledore. "We might have to have it the Ministry itself, it's too dangerous elsewhere, in case there are other Death Eaters besides Peter wandering around London or looking for revenge. I know here are extra rooms for employees who work overtime and for the guards working the night shift."

"Lily can have my room," said Minister Bagnold. "It's to crash in when I need to stay nights in the Ministry when there is a crisis."

"Thank you Minister, but won't you need it for tonight?" she asked. After this seemed like a major crisis to her.

"I have a feeling I'll be up all night gathering reports from the Magical Law Enforcement Department and making statements to the press," she said ruefully. "I'll sleep in an extra room if needed, but tonight you and your son are more important."

"I…thank you again," she choked out. Though she had only awoken from her brief coma a few hours ago, she was feeling extremely tired, and as Professor McGonagall handed Harry back to her, she could see he was already dozing.

"I'll send a Patronus to Remus Lupin, informing him of what has happened," said Dumbledore as he, Hagrid and Minerva walked Lily into the sleeping quarters. "You are certain you do not wish to stay with your sister?"

"No," she said firmly, trying to keep her exhaustion at bay. "I know how she'll act, and if I deal with her now, I'm likely to curse her."

"Very well then," Dumbledore answered. "Don't' worry, we'll get Peter and make sure Sirius is safe…and…" he paused for a second. "I'll make sure the arrangements are made for James."

"Thank you," Lily said warmly as she bade good night to the three of them, bestowing extra thanks on Hagrid for what he done for her and Harry.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day," she whispered to her sleeping son when they were alone. She conjured a crib and placed him gently in it. Within moments of laying down on the guest bed, Lily was fast asleep

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed, and sorry about the long wait. Please read and review!<strong>


	3. Showdown

**Apologies for the late update. As you may know I'm more committed to the For a Better Future series on my profile, as well as the real novel I'm writing. I intend to write this at my own pace, but I will finish this however long it may take  
><strong>

**Mr. Weasley said in Order of the Phoenix that the Ministry used to use Owls to deliver memos instead of the floating paper airplanes so I decided to put it in.**

**Also I have a vague notion of the layout of London so please correct me if I'm wrong about geography**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or am affiliated with Scholastic.**

* * *

><p>Kingsley tuned out the undercurrent of chatter as he shoved another push pin into the map of London on his cubicle wall. Hit Wizards had combed Piccadilly Circus, but there was no sign of Peter Pettigrew or Sirius Black. Everything north of the Thames was covered in differently colored pins, showing the lack of progress they had made in locating them.<p>

The fireplaces in the Auror office were all occupied; Aurors and Hit Wizards were in a constant state of flux, Flooing back and forth across London and the Ministry. Stenographers were feverishly jotting down notes as updates poured in and owls flew over everyone's heads delivering memos and leaving droppings by the score. Kingsley swore as another letter dropped down next to him, accompanied by a sudden wet stickiness on his shoulder. He _Scourgified_ the mess off and glanced at the note.

_Tower Bridge: No sign of either._

A red push pin went into the appropriate spot as he sighed. He itched to be out in the field, not here updating a chart and dodging owls. The hunt had taken nearly a day and they were no closer to finding them than they had before. If Pettigrew should escape London, it would be extremely difficult to track him down, and they also needed to find Sirius and tell him his name had been cleared, something which he fervently wished to do. He had been two years ahead of the group known as the Marauders, and fondly remembered his fellow Chaser, James Potter. He had grown to like James's friends as well; they'd always been cheering on James, even in practice, and their enthusiasm made their practices go smoother.

He couldn't believe that either Sirius or Peter would betray their friend, especially the former. But it appeared that little Peter Pettigrew, the afterthought of the Marauders, was a spy for You-Know-Who, thanks to Lily Potter's evidence. It wasn't in his job description to wonder about the motives of his targets, but he couldn't help but wonder what had driven the small man to turn his close friend and his family over to the recently departed 'Dark Lord'.

"I did warn you that desk jobs were boring," said an amused voice next to him. Kingsley turned to behold the grizzled features of Rufus Scrimgeour, his lion mane of hair drenched wet in sweat.

"Just got back?" he asked his superior.

"Yes," Scrimgeour replied, while heaving a bag to the floor. "Robards and I checked out Tottenham Court Road, but we found nothing. We're going to search Wandsworth after we've freshened up and had some tea."

"Wish I was out there," Kingsley grumbled.

Rufus smiled. "Like I said before, I warned you."

"I needed the extra money now that Emma's pregnant," Kingsley replied ruefully.

"Well, I've heard tell that we're all in line for big raises now that You-Know-Who is gone," said Scrimgeour with a smile. "So you can transfer back to the front lines when you're done."

"I might do that," said Kingsley thoughtfully. "It'll be a lot less dangerous now that the war's over."

"Don't let Mad-Eye catch you saying that, he'll give you a twenty minute lecture on why it'll never be less dangerous."

"And then he'll randomly attack me throughout the day to prove his point, just like he did to Dawlish," Kingsley chuckled.

"Oh he'll do that to you eventually," Scrimgeour replied. "Alastor does that to everyone, eventually."

They looked at each other as the chaos in the office continued.

"It's really over, Shacklebolt," said Scrimgeour, a swift grin passing over his face. "I've spent eleven years fighting this damn war and now he's gone, thanks to a one year old kid."

"It doesn't feel real," Kingsley replied. "You-Know-Who declared himself in my third year at Hogwarts. His menace was in the background all throughout my school years, and now he's defeated. I wonder if this is what the rest of Europe felt when Professor Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald."

"I wish I'd asked my father," said Rufus. "I was born only a couple of years after his fall, but it never occurred to me to talk to him about it."

"Was…was You-Know-Who responsible for his death?" Kingsley asked hesitantly. It didn't seem like an appropriate topic to discuss with his superior, but the entire day had been full of surprises.

He was relieved to see that Scrimgeour took no offense to the personal question.

"Rabastan Lestrange, actually," he replied. "My mother had already passed on years before, but I had been involved on a raid on the Lestrange mansion in Shropshire back in '75." His eyes widened in suppressed fury. "Evidently, he wanted to teach me a lesson. Merlin take pity if I catch up to him."

Kingsley nodded grimly. There were a great many people who would have to pay their debts now that the war was over, foremost among them the Lestrange family. His heart twisted. In a way, the war would never be over. The wounds would be always left bare for the world to see, no matter what fate befell the Death Eaters and their supporters.

"You were saying something, Kingsley?"

To his surprise, Kingsley realized he'd been muttering to himself.

"I was just thinking, the war's not going to be over. Take the Potters for example," he said as Rufus looked at him in confusion. "Their war is just beginning."

"Ah," replied the senior Auror in understanding. "Yes, it's sickening that this war had to end in one more murder, and that it had to be James Potter's for it." They both looked toward the office door where they knew that far beyond in Minister Bagnold's private quarters, Harry and Lily Potter slept.

This shared thought brought both of them back into reality. The noise in the room seemed to grow louder as they adjusted back into real time.

"Well then," said Scrimgeour awkwardly. "I'm going to grab some tea."

"Yeah, I should get back to updating this chart," said Kingsley but before Scrimgeour could move, a sooty, panting figure tumbled out of the central fireplace, drawing every eye to his movement. At the same time, a Hit Wizard came bursting into the office

"We f-found 'im" choked William Proudfoot as he rose to his feet in front of the fireplace "Sirius Black! He's been spotted in Southwark on Waterloo Road."

"Pettigrew too!" cried the Hit Wizard as he jumped up and down. He's on Borough Road near the intersection with Waterloo Road!"

The office was thrown into chaos. Desks and chairs were knocked over as every Auror clambered to their feet, demanding access to the fireplace that linked closest to the Southwark District, lusting after the glory of capturing Pettigrew.

"QUIET!" came a familiar shout. Alastor Moody had appeared, rugged as ever, his magical eye spinning in its socket as he glared at everyone with his whole one.

"Set an example for the Hit Wizards!" he growled, as everyone sat down where they were.

"Right then!" he barked taking in everyone. "Rufus you still going for tea, or you want in?"

"I can wait a few minutes," said Scrimgeour with a grin, stepping forward to join his own superior.

"Good." Moody's magical eye searched the room. "Proudfoot informed us all so he should come. Savage, you come as well and we should get a desk jockey here as well."

Every Office Auror perked their heads up, but Moody had already made his decision.

"Shacklebolt! Front and center!"

"Yes sir!" Kingsley said automatically as he jumped up and joined the others on the hearth. He'd had to mentally restrain himself from snapping a salute. His colleagues would never stop taking the mickey out of him if he did.

"The other disappointed Aurors turned away, pretending to do work while they all listened in, living vicariously to the lucky ones who had been chosen to apprehend the traitor.

"All right," said Moody when his team had been assembled. "Remember, do not harm Black. He's out for revenge and he's liable to hurt someone. The target is Pettigrew, though if Black goes off his rocker we might have to Stun him as well. There's a backup Hit Wizard Squad in the area in case things get too hairy, but I know what all of you can do, so that shouldn't be a problem.

"We should just let Black finish off the traitor," said the Auror Leon Savage.

"Even traitors deserve their rights, Savage," Moody replied coldly. "Besides, he may be able to lead us to the Lestranges and other Death Eaters on the run."

"Very well," replied Savage. "Anything we should know about Pettigrew?"

"He wasn't a good student if I recall," said Kingsley. "Then again Crabbe and Goyle are dangerous and they're essentially trolls."

"If he's working for Voldemort, then he's presumed dangerous," said Moody, ignoring the flinches at the Dark Lord's name. "What? He's dead now, why are you all still afraid of his name?"

"Let's just go," said Scrimgeour as he stepped toward the fireplace. Within half a minute, the five Aurors had disappeared from the Auror office, twisting their way towards Southwark, London.

* * *

><p>"Mum, look at the puppy!"<p>

"Melissa, get away, it's a stray dog! You don't pet strange dogs especially if they don't have an owner! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

Padfoot spared the girl a quick wag of his tail, and a low growl for her mother as he pushed past the family. He sniffed the ground rapidly, the scent of his old friend fresh in his mind.

_Turn the corner, scent getting stronger. Peter's close by._

He dashed around lazy pedestrians, dodging strollers and feet with expert ease. He would have to hurry now, he'd been too careless establishing his bearings when he'd Apparated to Southwark, checking up on the store Peter had worked at during the summer before his seventh year. It was just a glimpse, but he was fairly sure he'd seen William Proudfoot, and that Proudfoot had seen him. He knew Proudfoot was an Auror; the man had come to speak at their Defense class during Seventh year so he'd quickly changed to his dog form to buy himself more time if Proudfoot decided to call reinforcements.

James and Lily were the only ones who knew of the switch and their deaths had sealed Sirius's own fate. He'd been lucky that Hagrid hadn't known Sirius was supposed to be Secret-Keeper, he would've been beaten half to death if he had known.

_Scent getting stronger…stronger…just around the corner now!_

Padfoot bounded around the corner onto Borough Road, craning his dog head all around, desperate to find his prey.

_Got him!_

Peter was standing at a bus stop, anxiously checking his watch. Sirius could only surmise that his former friend was eschewing magical transportation to blend in as he raced towards the bus stop.

_Crash!_

He smacked into the legs of a businessman, bowling him over and causing everyone to look at him…including Wormtail.

Peter stared for just one moment before he jumped up and began to run as fast as he could. Sirius disentangled himself from the businessman and leapt to his feet.

"Stop that dog!" he heard the fallen man call as he ran after the rapidly disappearing traitor. The street was full of idle gawkers, and he found himself trapped between numerous pairs of feet.

Swearing inwardly Padfoot forced his way through the crowd, ignoring annoyed shouts and attempts to pet him. He reached the next block, only to see Wormtail try and escape down the nearest alley, but he was not alone.

Sirius watched with surprise as Peter ran smack into a group of four men who had walked straight out of the alley

"Peter Pettigrew!" cried one. "By the order of the Ministry you are hereby placed under arrest!"

_What?_

In his surprise, Sirius changed back into his regular form, elicting gasps from the nearest group of Muggles. But he didn't care. The Statute could go to hell for all he cared if it stopped him from getting Peter.

"Did he just-?"

"What was in that wine we drank last night?"

"Mommy, mommy look!"

"I know Melissa, I saw!"

Sirius ignored them all as he raced towards the growing struggle.

"What's going on?" he demanded as he stopped in front of them, watching Pettigrew squirm in the grasp of the two largest wizards.

"Ah, Sirius Black," said the largest of the two, tipping him a wink.

"Dennis Spinnet?" Sirius said in surprise. "You were Head Boy during my Second year!"

"I know I was," chuckled the tall man. "I'm second in command of the Hit Wizards now."

"But-but, what's going on? I thought you were all after me!"

Dennis looked at him in surprise, but quickly smiled.

"That's right, you didn't hear. Lily Potter's alive!"

Sirius gripped Dennis's arm hard. "But-but the entire house was destroyed. I didn't even think Harry made it!"

"She did," Dennis said with a smile.

"And James…?" asked Sirius, feeling foolish. He had seen James's body before Hagrid had come, but if Lily could make it…

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Dennis replied sadly.

Sirius lowered his head in sorrow, but immediately brought it back up, eyes flashing towards Pettigrew.

"You hear that you stinking rat? Lily and Harry lived! The only person you managed to kill was the man who let you into our group in the first place!"

For a second Sirius thought his words had struck home. Peter had stopped whimpering and struggling with the Hit Wizards.

And then Sirius's world was rent apart.

He never heard the explosion, but he was thrown spinning through the air straight into a wall. His ribs splintered with the impact dropping him in a crumpled heap onto the floor.

He fought desperately to keep himself conscious but he kept on slipping in and out of lucidity. Pieces of the three other Hit Wizards littered the floor as screams split the air. Dennis lay on the ground, glazedly looking into his eyes.

"H...h..help," whispered Sirius, his body screeching in agony as he tried to form words. It was a moment before he realized that he top of Dennis's head was gone, exposing the mixture of blood, brains and bone beneath.

A shadow fell over him. Sirius raised his eyes to see the small beady ones of Wormtail looking back at him, his wand raised.

"You shouldn't have come after me Sirius," Peter gasped. "You should have left me alone."

"F…fuck you…" Sirius murmured. If he was to die know, he wouldn't let that traitor see any fear.

A drop of sweat fell near Sirius's face. It was a second before he realized that Peter was twisting his wand in dismay.

"W..what's the matter Wormy?" Sirius spat. "Can't kill your friend in c..cold blood? Had to use Voldemort to kill J..James."

"Stop it!" Wormtail shouted, bringing his wand up level with Sirius's face.

Sirius gave him one last hate filled glare, but to his astonishment, Peter went flying into the same brick wall he had.

"Stop!" roared a familiar gravelly voice, but Peter was already up, twisting to fire a curse at Alastor Moody. Sirius stumbled to his feet as he saw Peter dodge two expertly aimed curses and make for the crater.

Kingsley Shacklebolt fired a desperate Disarming Spell as Peter dove for the cracked hole in the street. For a second he thought he'd missed completely, but he was ecstatic to see Pettigrew's wand go spinning harmlessly into the air

"Freeze!" called Scrimgeour as he rushed up behind , his wand trained on Pettigrew. The traitor turned…and waved?

To the Aurors' astonishment, Pettigrew began to shrink. Recovering quickly, they sent Stunners after him but they flashed harmlessly around him as Pettigrew's head reached the street.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Sirius as he ran up to the Aurors

"Pettigrew's an Animagus!" Proudfoot called uselessly, but in the next second he was knocked down as a black blur rushed by him.

"What the-?"

"It's Black!" Kingsley shouted, who had seen the man transform out of the corner of his eye. The dog ran down in the hole as the Aurors ran up.

The street was devastated. The crater reached the depths of the street, cracking the sewer below and exposing the pipes. Screams flew through the air around them as Muggles pointed at the debris and body parts littering the street.

"I'm going to call for backup," said Moody. "We need Obliviators and St Mungo's personnel here immediately.

"Wait!" Kingsley shouted as he pointed down into the exposed sewer below. A large black dog came into view, its tail wagging ferociously. Its teeth were bared into something like a grin, and in between his teeth they could see a struggling rat trapped in the dog's jaws.

"He has him!" Scrimgeour cried.

"All right," said Moody. "Get Black and Pettigrew to the Ministry right now, Kingsley and William. "Rufus, Leon and I will stay here to coordinate this…cleanup."

"And find a box to put that rat in," said Scrimgeour. "We don't need him escaping into the Ministry!"

"Very well," said Kingsley as he nodded at Proudfoot. He stooped to pick up the dog, ignoring the chaos around him.

"I wonder if it's improper to say 'good boy,' he said dryly as he scratched Sirius's head. "Especially to an illegal Animagus."

Kingsley wasn't entirely sure if he could read a dog's emotions, but he could have sworn he saw a smirk come across Sirius's face. In the next moment, the two humans, dog and rat, had turned on the spot and Disapparated.

* * *

><p><strong>Dennis is Alicia's uncle in my made up world. Rest in Peace random OC who I created :(<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed. Please read and review!  
><strong>


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